By Mark John (Reuters) – No sooner had the global economy started to put the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic behind it than a whole new set of challenges opened up for 2025. In 2024, the world’s central banks were finally able to start lowering interest rates after largely winning the battle against inflation without …
Brace! Risks stack up for the global economy in 2025 Read More »
By Karin Strohecker LONDON (Reuters) – Some World Bank staff have criticised an assessment of Ethiopia’s finances conducted with the International Monetary Fund, questioning whether the analysis that underpins the country’s debt restructuring may be “faulty”. In an internal paper seen by Reuters, World Bank consultant Brian Pinto and its chief economist Indermit Gill assess …
By Isaac Anyaogu LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigeria has lifted a ban on mining exploration in the northwestern state of Zamfara after a five-year suspension, the mining minister said, citing improved security. Mining activities in Zamfara, which holds huge gold, lithium and copper deposits, were suspended in 2019 following incessant bandit attacks. “The security operatives’ giant …
Nigeria resumes mining in Zamfara state on improved security Read More »
ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Farmers in some of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions are concerned about the impact of the strong Harmattan wind on the cocoa crop as it can dry the soil and harm cocoa pods. The seasonal Harmattan wind, which usually sweeps in from the Sahara Desert between December and March, was blowing hard last …
Ivory Coast cocoa farmers concerned about Harmattan wind’s impact on production Read More »
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand weakened on Monday in a thin trading session ahead of the year-end. At 0924 GMT, the rand traded at 18.39 against the dollar, about 0.5% softer than its previous close. “Expect thin trading volumes to amplify market moves, increasing risks for speculative ZAR trades,” said Andre Cilliers, currency Strategist …
(This Dec 20 story has been to remove the reference to China’s crude imports peaking as soon as 2025 in paragraph 9) By Arathy Somasekhar HOUSTON (Reuters) – Oil prices settled little changed on Friday as markets weighed Chinese demand and interest rate-cut expectations after data showed cooling U.S. inflation. Brent crude futures closed up …
Oil steady as markets weigh Fed rate cut expectations, Chinese demand Read More »
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron expressed full support on Saturday for Ethiopia’s debt restructuring efforts, emphasising the need for a swift resolution “in the coming weeks”. The backing from Macron, who is visiting Ethiopia after a stop in Djibouti, comes after Ethiopia and International Monetary Fund reached an agreement last month on …
France’s Macron backs Ethiopia’s debt restructuring efforts Read More »
By Stephen Culp NEW YORK (Reuters) -Wall Street surged on Friday and the dollar softened as cooler-than-expected inflation data helped investors look past the possibility of a government shutdown and fresh tariff threats from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. All three major U.S. stock indexes jumped more than 1%, gold surged and benchmark U.S. Treasury yields …
US stocks end sharply higher, dollar drops after inflation report Read More »
By Chibuike Oguh NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. dollar pulled back from a two-year high on Friday, but was heading for its third-straight week of gains, with data showing a slowdown in inflation two days after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates and indicated inflation was stubborn enough to scale back cuts in 2025. The …
Dollar poised to finish week higher after inflation data, Fed rate cut Read More »
BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Seventeen Chinese men have been arrested on suspicion of running an illegal gold mine in Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said there on Friday, as the government pressed on with a crackdown on unlicensed extraction of its minerals. The men were brought into the press conference called to …
Chinese men accused of running illegal gold mine in Congo Read More »
